Magazine roll feeder and conveyor assembly



Aug. 1, 1967 E. F. CLARK ETAL 3,333,733

MAGAZINE ROLL FEEDER AND CONVEYOR ASSEMBLY Filed Jan. 14, 1966 2 Sheets-Sheet l lizzgz/d' fliner .F'C'Cdrk 175727; FCQ QOCO' A g- 1957 E. F. CLARK ETAL MAGAZINE ROLL FEEDER ANDQONVEYOR ASSEMBLY 2 Sheets-Sheet 3 Filed Jan. 14, 1966 United States Patent 3,333,733 MAGAZINE ROLL FEEDER AND CONVEYOR ASSEMBLY Elmer F. Clark, Worcester, and John F. Cogoli, Oxford, Mass, assignors to Curtis & Marble Machine Co., Worcester, Mass, a corporation of Massachusetts Filed Jan. 14, 1966, Set. No. 520,763 2 Claims. (Cl. 221-290) This invention relates to a magazine roll feeder particularly adapted but not limited to the feeding of textile rolls and similar generally cylindrical objects. In the processing of long lengths of textile material, the rolls in the prior art are generally manually arranged at the front of the machine for the next process step. The leading end of a roll being fed into the machine, the length of fabric is processed until the trailing end of the roll appears, at which time the machine is stopped, the operator lifts a new roll into position, connects the leading end of the new roll to the trailing end of the exhausted roll, and once more starts the operation of the machine.

The invention in this case is directed to mechanical means for transferring a roll from a magazine of rolls into correct position ready for the operator to connect the roll ends, and it provides a labor and time saving device.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will appear hereinafter.

Reference is to be had to the accompanying in which:

FIG. 1 is a view in end elevation illustrating the roll magazine;

FIG. 2 is a view in front elevation looking in the direction of arrow 2 in FIG. 1, and

FIG. 3 is a plan view with part broken away.

As illustrated in the drawings in this case, the magazine comprises a framework generally indicated at 10. This framework can be of any desired construction and is provided in the lower portion thereof with an inclined deck or chute 12 supported in a manner found convenient in the framework 10. This deck is for the purpose of supporting a series of rolls generally indicated at 14 so that they will proceed as by gravity one by one down the deck or chute 12.

In the illustration herein however, there are provided further decks as at 16, 18, etc., these decks extending downwardly but at opposite angles so that a large group of rolls may be stored in the magazine without the necessity of piling them one on top of the other which procedure has been found to have serious defects. The deck 18 will be seen to terminate as at 20 and the rolls proceed downwardly against a bafile 22; and the deck 16 terminates at 24, the rolls being guided by a baffle 26 in a similar manner. It is only necessary to lift the rolls up to the rear end of the deck 18 in order to keep the magazine full.

The lower end of deck 12 is seen to terminate at 28 and the roll 30 for instance will proceed by gravity, when so allowed, to roll oif the edge of the deck onto a conveyor generally indicated at 31. The conveyor 31 can be a series of rolls, a belt, etc., and may be provided with a flat or V shape as may be found to be convenient. Ordinarily a fixed stop 32 will be used to prevent the roll 30 from overrunning the conveyor.

The conveyor is conveniently driven as by a shaft 34 from a belt, chain, or the like 36 by a motor 38 mounted in the lower part of the framework and controlled by a depressible actuator switch 40, which as shown extends slightly above the upper edge of the deck 12 so that as the roll, e.g. 30 rolls over the actuator, it will start the conveyor 31, traveling the roll longitudinally. By the use of a limit switch arranged at the end of the conveyor as drawings Patented Aug. 1, 1967 at for instance 42 in FIG. 2, the roll itself conveniently shuts off the motor 38, and thus the conveyor 31 is automatically energized and deenergized at the correct points desired by the operator of the machine to position the roll where it is needed, i.e. the dotted line position of FIGS. 2 and 3. The machine in question to which the rolls are being fed is located in the general area indicated by reference numeral 44, see FIG. 3.

The stop 32 ends as shown in FIG. 2 at 35 and beyond the stop and generally in continuation thereof there is provided a free roll 46 appropriately mounted in end plates or the like as may be found convenient.

When the roll 30 has progressed to the position shown in dotted lines in FIG. 2, and the machine generally indicated at 44 has stopped, leaving a trailing end of the prior roll, the leading end of roll 30 indicated at 48, FIG. 1, is grasped by the operator. He pulls on it to rotate the roll 30 in a counterclockwise direction against roll 46 so as to obtain suflicient end material to connect it to the trailing end above referred to so that the machine at 44 can continue its operation. The now connected roll 30 can be pushed off conveyor 31 onto an apron or spray of machine 44, thus leaving the conveyor free to receive the next roll.

In order to allow the progress of the rolls as desired and stop them as desired, there is provided a pivoted stop member indicated at 50 in FIG. 1. This pivoted member has a forward upward projection 52 and a rearward upward projection 54 spaced from it. As is clearly shown in FIG. 1, the roll A is being stopped by reason of the fact that the projection 52 is in its way, but when the pivoted element 50 is moved in a counterclockwise direction, projection 52 releases this roll, which can then roll down the deck to engage stop 32 as described. At the same time however the projection 54 has risen so as to stop the next roll B from also moving down the inclined deck 12.

Then the positions of the projections are reversed, and all of the rolls move down the distance of one roll, and the roll B is then stopped by projection 52 and is in position to be released upon the next operation.

Any means can be used to move the device 50 at the will of the operator such as a solenoid or pneumatic cylinder or the like, indicated by the reference numeral 56. This is under control of the operator as by electric connections, etc. well known in the art, so that as soon as the operator has connected the ends of the rolls as above described at machine 44, he actuates the mechanism to bring the next roll into the dotted line position of FIG. 3 and thus is all ready for the exhaustion of the roll he has just applied.

This invention is not necessarily limited to gravity feed for the rolls in the initial portion of the operation as other types of conveyors could be used to travel the rolls one by one to the conveyor 31.

Having thus described our invention and the advantages thereof, we do not wish to be limited to the details herein disclosed, otherwise than as set forth in the claims, but what we claim is:

1. A magazine roll stand comprising in combination, supporting and traveling means for the rolls including a deck,

a projection to stop the first roll, a second projection fixed to and spaced from the first-named projection, a tilting support for the two projections, means to tilt the support to release the first roll to move off the deck,

said second projection being operative upon the motion of the support in releasing the first roll, to stop the next succeeding roll, means operative to return the support to its original position,

a conveyor arranged in general parallel relation to the rolls and in position to receive the first roll from the deck, means to drive the conveyor, means interposed between the stop and the conveyor and in the path of the roll to energize the conveyor, means in the path of the roll on the conveyor to deenergize the conveyor at a predetermined position, and

a roll processing machine arranged to receive the roll from the conveyor in a direction at right angles to the roll and to the conveyor.

2. The magazine roll stand of claim 1 including a fixed stop at the side of the conveyor opposite the magazine, said fixed stop terminating intermediate the ends of the conveyor, and a roll in fixed relation and in longitudinal extension of the stop, said last-named roll being in the area of the processing machine.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS Hayssen 19837 Strickland et al. 221290 X Scherer et a1 221290 X Van Doren 221-225 X Nordquist 221-301 X Holben 19838 Boller 221-225 Blake 221-290 WALTER SOBIN, Primary Examiner. 

1. A MAGAZINE ROLL STAND COMPRISING IN COMBINATION, SUPPORTING AND TRAVELING MEANS FOR THE ROLLS INCLUDING A DECK, A PROJECTION TO STOP THE FIRST ROLL, A SECOND PROJECTION FIXED TO AND SPACED FROM THE FIRST-NAMED PROJECTION, A TILTING SUPPORT FOR THE TWO PROJECTIONS, MEANS TO TILT THE SUPPORT TO RELEASE THE FIRST ROLL TO MOVE OFF THE DECK, SAID SECOND PROJECTION BEING OPERATIVE UPON THE MOTION OF THE SUPPORT IN RELEASING THE FIRST ROLL, TO STOP THE NEXT SUCCEEDING ROLL, MEANS OPERATIVE TO RETURN THE SUPPORT TO ITS ORIGINAL POSITION, A CONVEYOR ARRANGED IN GENERAL PARALLEL RELATION TO THE ROLLS AND IN POSITION TO RECEIVE THE FIRST ROLL FROM THE DECK, MEANS TO DRIVE THE CONVEYOR, MEANS INTERPOSED BETWEEN THE STOP AND THE CONVEYOR AND IN THE PATH OF THE ROLL TO ENERGIZE THE CONVEYOR, MEANS IN THE PATH OF THE ROLL ON THE CONVEYOR TO DEENERGIZE THE CONVEYOR AT A PREDETERMINED POSITION, AND A ROLL PROCESSING MACHINE ARRANGED TO RECEIVE THE ROLL FROM THE CONVEYOR IN A DIRECTION AT RIGHT ANGLES TO THE ROLL AND TO THE CONVEYOR. 